CHAMINADE TOURNAMENT : Granada Hills Sinks Teeth Into Victory

Ryan Cravens played part of a game five days ago with a chunk of one of his front teeth clutched in his hand. An incisive elbow inside, it seems, chipped one of his incisors in half and Cravens held onto it on the outside chance that it could be reattached.

Cravens, a senior swingman for Granada Hills High, went to the dentist before the Highlanders’ Chaminade tournament opener against Crossroads on Thursday and was fitted with a temporary cap.

“I was still a little groggy when the game started,” Cravens said.

Same with his pals. The team that recently has played like nitroglycerin looked as though it had inhaled a tank of nitrous oxide as Granada Hills nearly blew a 19-point, second-half lead before pulling out a 62-56 victory.

The Highlanders (11-1) won their 10th consecutive game but needed some improbable last-minute heroics to do so: Granada Hills led, 48-29, with 1 minute 19 seconds left in the third quarter.

Crossroads (3-5) outscored Granada Hills, 14-3, to move within 51-43 with 5:02 left.

Gene Barshtak (17 points) scored on a layin with 2:06 left to give the Highlanders a 58-54 lead, but Granada Hills turned the ball over on two consecutive possessions and Crossroads cut the lead to two and was gunning for a tie.

After each team missed, Crossroads turned the ball over with 50 seconds left and the Highlanders went into a stall. With 21 seconds left, Highlander forward Jerry Allen (22 points) drove into the lane and tossed up a left-handed, off-balance, lean-in jump shot that fell well short--but he drew the foul.

“We were supposed to be looking for a layup,” Highlander Coach Bob Johnson said, shaking his head.

Allen made both free throws to give Granada Hills a 60-56 lead.

In other first-round games:

Chatsworth 59, Marshall 49 (OT)--Chatsworth pulled off a first-round upset by outscoring the Barristers, 10-0, in overtime.

Chan Manor scored a team-high 13 points for Chatsworth (3-5).

Harvard 70, St. Monica 59--Harvard was led by Andres Carlo (18 points), Tarlin Ray (17) and Iheanyi Uwaezuoke (12) and will face Granada Hills in the semifinals tonight at 6.

Bishop O’Dowd 47, Chaminade 32--Chaminade’s Mark Wiltshire (10 points) was the only player to score in double figures.

Bishop O’Dowd will play Chatsworth in a semifinal game at 7:30 tonight.